How to Play Razz Poker: Rules, Strategy, and Hand Rankings
If you know how to play Seven-Card Stud, you know how to play Razz poker, right? Wrong. Although the two variants are similar, there are important differences that make Razz an exciting game in its own right.
We’re here to teach you all the Razz poker rules required for success at the tables. Don’t worry if you’ve never even heard of it because this guide is for everyone. It doesn’t matter if you’re a complete poker newbie or an experienced player looking for a new edge; we’ll ensure you learn something.
What is Razz Poker?
Razz is a lowball game that has existed since the early 1900s, meaning a game where the lowest or “worst” hand wins. Players didn’t embrace it in numbers until its first outing at the WSOP in 1971. It’s not the only lowball game in town, but it’s the most popular.
This enduring popularity comes from the fact that Razz is a game based on Stud. Aside from Texas Hold’em and Omaha, Stud is a game that seasoned poker players are drawn to. That’s why the top online poker sites, including ACR, have Stud games running. Stud and Razz are both also popular live poker variants.
Anyone who enjoys the dynamics of Stud will enjoy Razz. Without community cards, these games demand a lot from players, including the skill of remembering so many mucked cards! Once we get around to discussing Razz poker strategy, you’ll understand why skilled players have an edge when community cards are removed from the mix.
Remember, Razz is a lowball version of Seven-Card Stud. That means you’re aiming to make the best low-value hand or, as it is with all types of poker, win pots by forcing everyone else to fold.
Now that’s clear, let’s get into the rules of Razz poker and how to play.
How to Play Razz Poker: All You Need to Know
You might be used to poker hand rankings from the perspective of high-hand games such as Hold’em and Omaha. But Razz is a lowball game. That means the lowest five-card hand always wins.
Gameplay Step-by-Step
Razz is a variant of poker played by up to seven players. It uses antes instead of blinds. Each player is dealt seven cards by the end of the hand, but hand strength is calculated by selecting the most advantageous five-card combination they can make from their seven cards.
As in Stud, cards dealt to each player are only usable by that player, and there are no community cards. However, some players’ cards are private (face down), and some are visible to all (face up).
Here’s how the game plays out in a standard hand of Razz poker.
- All players post the ante. Each is dealt two cards face down (hole cards) and a third card face up (door card). The player with the highest (worst) door card showing must post a larger bring-in bet to start the action, and a betting round occurs. Players can call the bring-in bet, complete to a full small bet (for example, $1 in a $1/$2 game), raise with an additional small bet, or fold.
- Fourth Street: Each player who chooses to continue in the last betting round receives a fourth, face-up card. The player with the lowest visible board acts first. All bets and raises use the small bet amount ($1 in a $1/$2 game).
- Note: Betting caps. Razz usually follows a fixed-limit betting structure. This means that a maximum of four bet increases is permitted per betting round (bet – raise – re-raise – cap). For example, the maximum amount a player can be required to put in the pot on Fourth Street is a total of $4.
- Fifth Street: One more face-up card is dealt, and betting continues at the big bet level ($2 in a $1/$2 game).
- Sixth Street: A fourth face-up card is dealt to each player remaining, and betting continues at the big bet level.
- Seventh Street (River): One final card is dealt face down to the remaining players, and a final betting round proceeds at the big bet level.
- Showdown: Players reveal their lowest five-card hands or muck if they cannot show a winning hand.
An Example Showdown Scenario in Razz Poker
Let’s consider an example from the last round of betting. As in Stud, each player has seven cards by the last round of betting, if they haven’t folded by then! In the example below, face-down cards are marked with an X.
Let’s consider a Seventh Street hand example to see how a winning hand is determined.
- Seat 4 shows XX 3♦ 4♣ 7♦ 6♥ X and bets $2.
- Seat 6 shows XX 2♣ 5♠ 6♠ 8♥ X and raises to $4.
- (Seat 4 calls)
Showdown
- Seat 4 has A♠ 2♠ 3♦ 4♣ 7♦ 6♥ 10♥ (best hand = A♠ 2♠ 3♦ 4♣ 6♥)
- Seat 6 has 2♥ 4♥ 2♣ 5♠ 6♠ 8♥ A♦ (best hand = A♦ 2♥ 4♥ 5♠ 6♠)
Result: Seat 4 wins!
In the example above, both players have very good hands, with 6 being their highest card. What distinguishes them is that Seat 4 has a slightly better hand, with their 3♦ being lower than their opponents’ 4♥. In Razz poker, hand rankings always look first at the highest card, then the next highest, and so on, to determine the winning hand at showdown.
Razz Poker Hand Rankings
We can’t list all the possible combinations in Razz because there are endless ways to make a five-card hand. What we can do is give you the top ten Razz poker hand rankings and explain how their values are determined.
It is essential to note that whilst you want to avoid pairs in Razz, flushes and straights do not count against your hand’s low status, making A-2-3-4-5 (suited or not), the “nut low” or best possible hand in Razz poker.
Top 10 Razz Poker Hand Rankings
| Rank | Low Hand | Name |
| 1 | A-2-3-4-5 | Best Hand |
| 2 | A-2-3-4-6 | A six-four low |
| 3 | A-2-4-5-6 | A six-five low |
| 4 | A-3-4-5-6 | A six-five-four-three low |
| 5 | A-2-3-4-7 | A seven-four low |
| 6 | A-2-3-5-7 | A seven-five low |
| 7 | A-2-4-5-7 | A seven-five-four low |
| 8 | A-3-4-5-7 | A seven-five-four-three low |
| 9 | A-2-3-6-7 | A seven-six-three-two low |
| 10 | A-2-4-6-7 | A seven-six-four low |
A player’s hand at showdown consists of the five lowest-value cards selected from the seven available to them. As mentioned above, Razz poker hand rankings always work backwards from the highest-value card.
Example
- Player 1 has A♠ 2♦ 3♣ 4♥ 9♦
- Player 2 has A♣ 2♥ 3♦ 4♠ 7♦
In this example, Player 2 has the best hand because their highest-value card is the 7♦. Player 1 has an almost identical hand but loses because their highest-value card is the 9♦.
What Is the Best Razz Poker Strategy? Top 3 Tips & Tricks
Razz poker strategy can be complex, given that many possible hand combinations could win at showdown. That’s often why skilled poker players have a bigger edge over novices in Razz than they do in other variants.
Therefore, if you can become a strong Razz player, there are some very profitable spots and games out there. With this in mind, here are our top three Razz poker strategy tips:
1. Be Observant
Don’t let the fact that you’re not playing with community cards make you lose sight of other players’ cards on the felt. In live poker, when a player folds after Fourth Street, these cards are usually left showing for all players to consider. Once an opponent folds, these cards are known as dead cards, and they’re important for two reasons:
- They give you an idea of what hand combinations your opponents might have.
- They tell you how many low-value cards are left in the deck, e.g., you know there is only one deuce left if three of the dead cards are deuces.
The message here is simple: be observant. This is even more important in online play, where the publicly visible cards of your opponents are usually sent straight to the muck as soon as they fold. In online Razz poker, you must exercise even more skill in memorizing what you’ve seen hit the felt during the hand.
Take note of your opponent’s exposed cards and remember them after they fold. This information can help you decide whether or not to continue playing a hand. It can also help you get reads on opponents.
2. Don’t Stress Over Starting Hands
Starting hands matter, so don’t misunderstand what I’m about to say. Undoubtedly, A-2-3 is the best-starting hand in Razz poker. Similarly, A-2-4 and A-3-4 are strong starting hands.
However, as you go through the list of possible three-card starting hands, you’ll find many are close in equity. In simple terms, they’re all fairly even in terms of value.
Dead cards often determine how a hand will play out and how valuable your starting cards are, as they provide significant added context that you must take heed of to assess your chances of winning and overall strategy in the hand.
I’m not saying you should start with J-Q-K. However, if you’ve got three low-to-middle value cards, the dead cards should be given a lot of weight when deciding whether to continue in the hand.
3. Play Position Aggressively
As it is in all forms of poker, position is hugely important. Acting later means you’ve got more information to work with. Therefore, if you make a play, particularly a bluff, it’s almost always better to do it from late position rather than early.
Other than those Razz poker strategy tips, I’d urge you to start small. Bankroll management is essential, but it has new significance in games like Razz.
We recommend starting slow. Find some small-stakes games and fold a lot until you’ve got a feel for how the game works. Only move up the stakes once you are confident in your game and skill level in Razz poker.
We suggest you go deeper into Razz strategy by watching this short Cardplayer video from poker legend T.J Cloutier discussing optimal strategy for Razz poker.
How to Play Razz Poker: Key Takeaways
By now, you should know the basic Razz poker rules, what defines a winning hand, and how to get an edge at the table. The only thing left to do is go out and play. You can browse a couple of online poker sites to choose the one you like the most.
Feel free to use the CardPlayer Academy to hone your skills and take a shot at glory in some Razz events at the WSOP. Whichever way you play, we’d urge you to try Razz because it’s a fun variant that provides a challenging break from the norm.
FAQs – How to Play Razz Poker
Why are pairs bad in Razz?
Pairs reduce the value of your hand by reducing the number of cards that can count toward your best low hand. They reduce your options. That’s why you don’t want to make a pair when you play Razz.
What happens if you run out of cards in Razz poker?
Running out of cards in a Razz poker game is possible if everyone at a full seven-handed table gets to Seventh Street without folding first. In this rare instance, one final card is placed in the middle of the table and used as a community card.
How much bluffing goes on in Razz poker?
Bluffing in Razz poker is less common than in some other poker game formats, but it’s still a powerful tool, especially against players with higher cards showing face up. Skilled Razz poker players will find bluffing opportunities where their face-up cards look good, but their hole cards won’t let them make a truly strong hand.